Fringe benefits

THE issue of the Sunshine Coast’s housing affordability crisis has created headlines in the media many times.

Premier Anna Bligh weighed into the debate saying ‘the Sunshine Coast has the highest housing prices and least affordability in the state’ and that our region was ‘in crisis’.

And more recently it was brought to the public’s attention that the Queensland State Government seized control of Caloundra South from our council’s clutches and promised to deliver higher density housing and greater diversity with various sized house lots.

Undoubtedly it is our much desired coastal lifestyle that has increased population figures on the Sunshine Coast and prompted the Urban Land Development Authority to save the day as it was.

Population growth in any region or major city inevitably results in urban sprawl but living on the fringes of the Sunshine Coast needn’t be all bad.

There are benefits to living on the fringe, from affordability to a country-meets-coast lifestyle.

Areas such as Glass House Mountains, Conondale, Maleny, Mapleton, Cooroy, Pomona and more, form the fringe of the Sunshine Coast.

From the glistening beaches which attract tourists throughout the year, the hinterland areas are just a short drive away, between 30 minutes to an hour.

For Maleny resident Jim Atkinson, a 45-minute drive to work and back in Yandina each day was relaxing.

“It was good thinking time and a good time to unwind a little bit, so you could concentrate on other things or on work for that day, it didn’t worry me at all and I often thought of people who were from Maleny but were going to Brisbane every day.

“They would have to get up at some ungodly hour and be down at the station to get the train and then come back, they were away from home at 5.30am until 7.30 at night so I thought I was a lot better off than that,” Jim said.

“And if you were to live in Sydney or other major cities you would be travelling for a lot longer than 45 minutes so it was fine.”

But just like the city slickers who drive an hour or more to their jobs, Jim encountered one very common problem.

“It was a bit hard on the cars because they wore out very quickly with the mileage because it was about 45km down there and back so I used to do a few miles and yes I went through a few cars.”

Having lived in Maleny for 27 years Jim has thorough knowledge of all the backstreets and knows all the shortcuts.

So when it came time to travel those 45 minutes to work, he knew precisely how to best arrive at his destination without the road rage-provoking traffic congestion.

“I used to drive through Maleny, go across to Montville, and then down to Nambour and through that way.

“There was not a lot of traffic on the road at that time of a morning, usually just tourist traffic and by the time I came home in the afternoon all the tourist traffic was gone,” Jim said.

“And I enjoyed the drive, there was no way I was going to go and live off the Range,” Jim added.

So what was so special about living on the outskirts of the Coast that Jim was willing to drive 90 minutes a day, seven days a week in his busy career as Nutworks general manager?

Although he came from Sydney originally, Jim has lived out in the bush all of his life.

He and his wife moved to Maleny from Riverina in New South Wales where Jim was managing a sheep property, when the opportunity came to manage a macadamia nut business, he jumped at the chance.

“We were used to the country life and Maleny gave us the best of both worlds, it gave us the country atmosphere while being close to the coast and Brisbane and it is so green most of the time which was something that we hadn’t experienced,” Jim quipped.

“The water was clean and the telephone worked, that was 27 years ago of course and things have changed in the bush since then but there were stark differences here and we’ll never leave this place anyway,” he said.

On the northern end of the Sunshine Coast and also on the fringe of the coast is a little village called Pomona.

With a population of just 1000 (according to the 2006 ABS Cenus data), Pomona is set at the foot of Mount Cooroora and has a relaxed country atmosphere. The main strip of Pomona has everything the locals could need with a bakery, green grocer, cafe and hotel.

The quaint village ambience evokes a sense of calm and is a far cry from the busy streets of its closest “city” Noosa.

Alexia Purcell is a Pomona resident travels 45 minutes to and from her workplace in Maroochydore, five days a week. And she, too, spends the drive planning her day ahead.

“It gives me time to plan my day ahead and wind down on my way home. Although if I could, I’d work from home,” Alexia said.

“It takes me about 45 minutes in the car, but it takes me an hour plus if I take my motorbike because I take every road but the highway,” she said.

Having made her home in Pomona, Alexia couldn’t imagine living anywhere else despite the lengthy drives to work.

“I wouldn’t want to live in Maroochydore where I work, for one, the traffic is a nightmare.

“We never have traffic congestion in Pomona except when a train is passing through and the road crossing is briefly closed.

“The lifestyle in Pomona certainly outweighs the convenience of living close to work, with our veggie garden in the front yard and our chickens out the back, we love living here,” Alexia said.

Although, her husband didn’t want her talking Pomona up too much in case everyone decided to move there.

For Alexia the choice to live in Pomona was an easy one as she grew up in nearby Cooroy.

“I grew up in Cooroy and love this end of the Coast, so when my husband and I were looking for a house to buy, we looked in areas around Noosa and found our dream place in Pomona,” Alexia said.

“Pomona is a real community, it still has country values and the people look out for you.”

Alexia also appreciated Pomona’s rich history which dates back to 1860 when Lieutenant Bligh first took up land in the mountainous area.

“It’s an easy place to stay fit with the mountain, exercise park and mountain bike trails and it’s so different from Noosa but it’s still so close to the beach,” she said.

Considering where to buy a house whether it’s along the coastline or on the fringe of the Sunshine Coast, there are many lifestyle benefits to be had and for Jim and Alexia, they are enjoying their fringe benefits just fine.